The freshly minted Woodlands Stud Sires’ Stakes Foundation Pace is a $50,000 feature under the Friday Night Lights and our two‑year‑old trotters dip their toes into the 2026 IRT Trot Series.
Our two‑year‑old trotters dip their toes into the 2026 IRT Trot Series in Auckland this weekend — and even more of them down south have shown up on the support card in Christchurch!
On the face of it, a four‑horse turnout for the first of two series preludes may look light, but it belies what’s emerging in this group.
A tweak in the race schedule is about giving the northern horses a race before they embark on Cup‑time classics in Canterbury, with the second prelude reset for November 6 at Addington, where the two jurisdictions will merge for a month of classic racing including the $100,000 IRT Sires Stakes Two‑Year‑Old Trot Final on Show Day at Addington.
Sires’ Stakes CEO Martin Pierson is in the process of taking stallion nominations for the series through September and says he’s a little blown away by the options available for breeders of our pure‑form standardbreds.
“Pat Driscoll has seventeen stallions from around the globe nominated — from a son of Ready Cash standing for a $2000 service fee right through to Walner, the most winning and in‑demand trot sire in the Northern Hemisphere. The range and quality from just that one stallion operator is mind‑boggling when you consider what our options were as recent as a decade ago.”
On that variety‑and‑value theme, it’s interesting to consider the contenders in the Alexandra Park opener this Friday.
Duke Of Bourbon will be the favourite — and what the son of European heavyweight Face Time Bourbon has to offer now, with extra months of maturing behind him, will be worth the watch. The colt, bred by Yabby Dam Farm and sold for $240,000 at the NZB Standardbred Yearling Sales last year, showed real glimpses of raw talent in the autumn and has looked well‑rounded at a recent trial outing.
Series rival Tactico was also keenly sought at those sales. The Breckon Farms bred son of American super sire Tactical Landing cost Stonewall Stud $150,000 to float home from Karaka and has his first start on Friday following a winning trial on Alexandra Park. NZ Harness Racing Hall of Fame reinsman Maurice McKendry must have liked what he felt on warm‑up day when the colt dashed home in hand on a 57‑second last half.
Tardina Stud has been having a grand run with their now two‑year‑old crop — especially in the pacing ranks lately — and number‑one client Tony Herlihy is stoking up a trotter for them this time. Bijou broke through on debut in July and brings more race‑night ringcraft than the rest.
Then, right at the other end of outlay costs at least, is Another Hillbilly — the only filly out there on Friday and a $3000 purchase from the Woodlands Stud weanling draft in 2024. But don’t let any of that put you off!
It was her and trainer‑driver‑mentor Nicky Chillcott chasing down Duke Of Bourbon that day at the Pukekohe trials — with that speed and determination you can’t see or buy in a sales ring.
Quality over quantity in Auckland, then. And a lot of both in Christchurch for two‑year‑old trot fans.
The freshly minted Woodlands Stud Sires’ Stakes Foundation Pace is a $50,000 feature under the Friday Night Lights.
It’s the race formerly known as the Harness 7000 — and as that name suggests, a key condition of the event is that these three‑year‑old pacers are by stallions with a service fee of $7000 or less in the year they were bred (the 2021/22 breeding season).
Downbytheseaside has two key representatives in this year’s race and now demands almost double the fee he did back then, given his rise to the top of global sire leaderboards.
Not surprisingly given his popularity and value Alabar and Nevele R Stud Stallion Captain Crunch is repped by more than half the field and Victorian Sire Poster Boy rounds at the 7 progeny running.
Fans will be interested to see how a couple of highly ranked fillies compete against some talented lads currently on the second tier of this competitive section — all trying to raise a game that justifies a shot at the big time later in the year.
Despite her real claims for feature races later in the spring, Asymmetric Return (Downbytheseaside) wasn’t entered for the Nevele R Series.
However, Kentuckiana Racing always has a plan — and this race is a big part of it with the New Zealand Oaks in her sights during the cup carnival.
We’ve talked about Song of Seas (Downbytheseaside) a lot lately — trainer Tom Bagrie was “happy as” with her final hit‑out at home on Wednesday morning.
His logic around lining up here rather than the next Nevele R Heat in Oamaru on Sunday is simple:
“Black Type. If she can run top three on Friday, she gets a listed race credit on her pedigree page — and I’m thinking it’ll be easier there than in the big races coming up, despite how good she is,” said Baggo at the trial meeting midweek.
Might be all we need to know for Friday’s outcome.
